Monday, drive to Nancy

content/blog/wk8day1.md

@@ -1,7 +1,78 @@
 ---
-title: "Week 8, Monday:"
+title: "Week 8, Monday: Brussels to Nancy"
 date: 2024-09-16T21:55:00+02:00
-draft: true
 ---
 
-{{< image frame="true" width="17em" float="right" src="/img/headline/todo.png" alt="Credit: " >}}
+{{< image frame="true" width="17em" float="right" src="/img/headline/mayanwarrior.png" alt="Credit: Mayan Warrior, YouTube" >}}
+
+We had a great night's sleep in Andrew's guestroom in Brussels. At about 10:00 we got out of bed
+(finally!) and did our morning ritual. The coffee was a _Moka Pot_ this morning and it was really
+strong, and therefore approved. Eimear made a few croissants, which I do not think were qualifying
+as _Gipfeli_, but they helped with the overall wakeup process.
+
+At around 11:00 I asked if the group would like to eat spaghetti, which is perhaps for some a
+strange breakfast / lunch, but for Marina most definitely is not, and she immediately knew what I
+was looking to book: [[Pee Klak]](https://www.indepatattezak.com/)], which is ironically named _In
+de Patattezak_ (English: In the potatobag). It's ironic because you can only order three things
+there: Spaghetti with Bolognaise, or with ham/cheese sauce, or with seafood. And you can order this
+dish either 'h&uuml;ge' or 'sm&oslash;l'.
+
+A&E had never heard of this place before, but when Marina used to live in Machelen, it was a very
+common destination. Back then, every chair in the place was different, and people would be lining up
+for several blocks to get their desired fix of pasta and bolo [also, back then: spaghetti with or
+without sauce, that's the choice]. The group quickly convinces itself this is worth an effort, so we
+grab the car -- fully charged at this point -- and make our way up north to Stroombeek-Bever. We get
+there at a cozy 11:57 and there's already a few folks ready to enter. At a few minutes past (this is
+not Switzerland, after all), the door opens, and we're quick to sit down, touting our reservations!
+Not five minutes later, thirty or more people are sitting at their tables, it's as if they emerged
+out of thin air.
+
+We order the pasta, and it's served mere minutes later: when you only serve _one dish_, it's really
+easy to prepare ahead of time. It was godly, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole bowl. I can tell the
+others did, too, because after fifteen minutes, most of it was inhaled. We gave up our table at
+12:30, belly full, on cloud nine, and made our way back down to the apartment to drop off Eimear and
+Andrew. What a lovely time we had, thanks guys!!
+
+We however, need to be on our way back to Br&uuml;ttisellen. We could likely do this in one day, but
+we've purposefully decided to do a slow trip home and relax a bit after this weekend of partying. So
+we punch _Nancy_ in the navi, and there's a little Ibis Budget almost next to the supercharger
+there. We also get to visit _Luxembourg_, a quaint little country between Germany, Belgium and
+France.
+
+In the car, we get a DM from Quinn who has phys-ed today. He is not happy and the selfie shows it.
+We, however, are plenty happy so we send a dual-selfie back from the car. I'm wearing some nice
+yellow shades (meant for night driving), and I think it makes me look like _Walter Sobchak_ in [[The
+Big Lebowski](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715)], a classic movie that Marina, to this day, has
+flat out _refused_ to watch. Tsk!
+
+We arrive at Luxembourg and it - of course - has a Supercharger in a huge shopping mall. We park the
+car in the mall, Marina is upset that we have to pay for parking, but I am actually quite pleased.
+There's a whole battalion of v4 superchargers here, so we plug in and go shopping. Of course we go
+shopping :) and we get a little bit of dinner for tonight. We plan to just hang out at our totally
+basic Ibis Budget, watch TV, and eat cheese and sausage and breat with butter, and drink iced tea.
+It's a good plan.
+
+Apart from a little bit of traffic as we roll down the A31 from Metz to Nancy, things go pretty well
+for us. We arrive at the hotel at about 17:30, check in and see our cute little room. We always have
+been punting on watching that "dramatic" t&ecirc;te-a-t&ecirc;te between Harris and Trump, and we
+decide that now is a good time to catch up on our internet memes: American politics. What a
+veritable shitshow. Politics in general has degenerated so much in to slander, lies and ad-hominem
+attacks. This was no different, and I can't say I was impressed with either candidate. It's a good
+thing I do not have to vote :) But, the food was delish, and at 22:00 or so we turned off the lights
+for a good night's sleep.
+
+## Pictures of the Day
+
+{{< gallery-category >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1345.JPG" caption="Andrew and Pim hang out on the couch at @yourtch's place" >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1346.JPG" caption="We offer Andrew and Eimear a lunch at Pee Klak in Grimbergen (Stroombeek-Bever). Eimear stole it from us and paid while Marina was on the toilet - thanks again!" >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1347.JPG" caption="Pee Klak is well known in Brussels for his Spaghetti Bolognaise" >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1348.JPG" caption="We are chipper in the car driving down south through Belgium to Luxembourg" >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1349.JPG" caption="Arrived in Luxo city, there's a mall with a huge battery (heh) of v4 chargers. We get 110kW here, booyah" >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1352.JPG" caption="Driving from Luxembourg to Nancy there's a bit more traffic due to roadworks" >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-16/IMG_1354.JPG" caption="Our spread for the evening - cheese, sausage, bread, tomato, olives. We watch the presidential debate. I'm thankful there will be only one of these ..." >}}
+  {{< gallery-photo fn="2024-09-17/IMG_1359.JPG" caption="Marina bought these totes adorbs Pav&eacute; d'Affinois Mini (but I think they're rather Micro)" >}}
+{{< /gallery-category >}}
+
+{{< gallery-modal >}}
+{{< gallery-script >}}